It is an iconic place that residents associate with the bank that operated there for many years. Skarbiec is a new development that involves the metamorphosis of the old building and a change in its function. Spacious flats will be created inside. The investment will be carried out by the VOX Capital Group, headed by Piotr Wit Voelkel. The concept for the changes was prepared by the architectural studio Tekktura, in cooperation with and under the supervision of the Office of the Municipal Conservator of Monuments. The building is in very good condition, so most of the work will be concerned with revitalisation.
The building is located at the junction of Nowowiejskiego 1 and Plac Wolności 15, and is only a few minutes’ walk from the Old Market Square. The building at 15 Wolności Square was erected 113 years ago, in 1911, for the German Ostbank für Handel und Gewerbe, or Eastern Bank. It was designed by Berlin architects Richard Bielenberg and Josef Moser. The building is an example of transitional architecture between Baroque and Art Deco, interestingly and in a balanced way combining elements characteristic of both eras.
As the headquarters of a financial institution, the building was intended to impress with its size and splendour and thus inspire confidence in its clients. The façade of the building is entirely clad in stone, the representative rooms are 5 m high and the floors of the corridors are lined with marble. There is no shortage of ornate fittings, fine stained-glass windows and works by master carpenters of the time.
Today, traces of the bank that operated there until recently can be seen inside. However, the old walls will soon be renovated. The plan is to create 36 flats in the historic part. The size of the apartments will vary from small, 29 square metres, to larger ones, ranging from 75 square metres to 110 square metres. The architects have had plenty of room for manoeuvre with the height – some of the flats are 5 m high, which allows the bedroom function to be elevated and the clear division of zones to be maintained. The pearl in the crown will be the suite to be created in the fireplace room.
A unique flat is located on the first floor, more than 230 metres high, with a view of Liberty Square, including the historic fireplace room. This flat is the only one that will be preserved unchanged, including its current interior. It features historic furniture fittings, a balcony with a unique balustrade over the main entrance, ceiling ornaments, fascinating stained-glass windows and a focal point – a richly decorated stone fireplace. Such a space creates an unusual background for the unique arrangement and will certainly be of interest to those customers who want to live in a spacious interior with a historical soul,” says Agata Olszyńska, responsible for sales and marketing of the investment.
The plan is also to preserve the underground vault. It is to be deepened and rebuilt – there will be private areas for the building’s residents, a club room with a pool table and a relaxation area, as well as an intimate cinema room. The developer will preserve the historic vault gates with a circular metal railing, as a reminder of the site’s former use. All common areas of the development – its lobby, the corridors leading to the flats, the club and cinema rooms, as well as the car park and the bicycle shed – have been designed to harmonise with the building and form a natural extension of its visual identity. Classical elegance and noble materials dominate here. It is worth noting that the common areas will be accessible to residents of both the historic and the new part of the development.
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Residents of the new and old parts will share two of the most representative spaces. The first is the imposing main entrance, highlighted on the front elevation of the edifice by imposing columns. After crossing the threshold of the building, we see a wide, historic stone staircase leading to the lobby and further, through an internal, intimate patio to the new part of the building. A green-filled square will be created on the site of the former banking hall. Thanks to carefully designed vegetation, thoughtful small architecture and atmospheric lighting, it will probably become one of the favourite places of the Treasury’s residents. In addition, the developer plans to introduce art, which has been close to the VOX brand for years, into this space.
The new section will be built around a green patio. The project envisages the construction of 20 two-bedroom flats with loggias and areas ranging from 30 to 39 square metres. Two modern penthouses will be built on top. In addition to the flats, five commercial premises are also planned for the townhouse.
Importantly, all parts of the building which are under conservation protection are to be preserved throughout the project. The edifice will also gain modern solutions previously missing: a lift, a bicycle room, air-conditioning and a garage hall. The building has been in use throughout its existence and has therefore undergone repeated renovations. It was probably shelled during the fighting for the city in 1945, and the resulting damage to the stone cladding was repaired during work carried out in the 1960s. As part of the project, the developer announces the restoration of the stone cladding and sculptural elements. The metalwork in the architectural openings of the facades – the bars in the cellar windows, the bars in the overlights of the main entrance from Freedom Square or the balustrade of the terrace above the portico – is preserved in very good condition and will only be cleaned and exposed. The façades on the courtyard side, raised above the original level probably in the interwar period to provide additional rooms, will be carefully cleaned and unified in colour so as to expose the ornamental details.
Rarely, all staircases, as well as the interiors of the conference and office rooms on the upper floors of the front tract, have been preserved unchanged or slightly altered.
The developer is currently in the process of obtaining planning permission. Once the administrative and legal formalities have been completed, the construction and sale of the flats will commence. The construction process is planned to take approximately two years.
design: Tekktura; architects: Hanna Michalik-Tomczak, Maciej Tomczak, Tomasz Strzyżowski; project team: Jacek Borzych, Wojciech Skowronek, Katarzyna Kozub-Paterczyk
source: press materials of the investor(https://skarbiec-poznan.pl)
Read also: Poznań | Monument | Renovation | Detail | Elevation | Apartment | Interior | whiteMAD on Instagram
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